


the baby-sitters club and other war stories

by 4wholecats



Series: The Babysitter's Club and Other War Stories [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Literal Sleeping Together, Multi, Temporary Blindness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 8,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4wholecats/pseuds/4wholecats
Summary: Short drabbles based on randomly generated word prompts, taking place in the FEH universe.
Relationships: Frederick/Seth (Fire Emblem), Titania/Frederick/Seth, frederick/titania, seth/titania
Series: The Babysitter's Club and Other War Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676077
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	1. hora (hour)

**Author's Note:**

> sometimes a family can be three parents, several horses, and prince chrom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hora: hour, season, time

The hour was late, and the library had emptied out in the darkening hours. Well, almost emptied.

Titania had, at this point, mostly given up on her paperwork. Writing reports was never her strong suit. Her place in the army was on the front lines with an axe in her hand, defending those who were not as strong as herself. But seniority on the battlefield came with it’s price, a price she had been slowly but surely paying throughout the afternoon as she filled out detailed reports on the week’s successes and losses. She sighed and continued nursing the warm mug of tea in her hands. It was too late to continue; exhaustion and boredom had already turned her brain to mush. If only the same could be said about her two companions.

Frederick, orderly in all things, held the same perfect posture as he had several hours ago, unbothered by the darkening and chilling of the room. The stacks of paper on either side of him were like perfectly positioned walls, daring anyone to enter his fortress and disturb him as he worked. At the far end of the table, Seth stood (gods, had he been standing the whole time?), packing papers into folders and setting the stacks of files aside to be shelved later. He moved quickly and with reasonable neatness, but the distant look in his eyes told Titania that he was simply going through the motions of his work, kept on track by muscle memory alone. 

Titania was content to lean back in her chair and finish her tea as the others continued, watching as Frederick’s pile of unread papers got smaller and smaller. Being at the front of today’s assembly line, it was Titania’s right and privilege to decide when it was time to stop working; she need only stop writing papers to do so. Without the reports, there was nothing to review, and with nothing to review, there was nothing to package and shelve. It’s true that actual writing was the most bothersome of the tasks, but she would rather get it over with and force everyone to retire early than be subjected to one of Frederick’s all-nighters. The man wouldn’t call it quits until all the work was done, and he seemed capable of writing endlessly without concern for boredom or hand cramps. 

She put her empty mug down as the man in question reached for more papers that were not there. He paused for a moment to consider the empty wooden table in front of him, then looked up towards her, and then behind her to the clock on the wall.

“It’s hardly midnight, surely we can’t be done yet?”

“Done with the work? Oh no certainly not, Frederick. But I am definitely done working for the night. I’m on breakfast duty tomorrow and I would prefer not to fall asleep over the fire,” she smiled at him tiredly. There was a soft thud as Seth put down his last file and moved to gather his things. She knew he would never say it himself, but Titania knew he was grateful for the rescue. None of them enjoyed being on the end of the assembly line.

“Well then, same place tomorrow?” Seth said, unrolling his sleeves from his elbows and pulling his coat on.

“Seems so. Though, we got through most of it today so it should go quickly…” Titania responded, knowing that what she said was probably a lie. No matter how productive they were, reports never went quickly. She didn’t envy their senior officers, for surely must have even more work to do, given their position.

Frederick’s eyebrow twitched in skepticism, but he stood to blow out the candles regardless. 


	2. vestis (laundry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frederick's waistcoat is missing.  
> vestis: clothes, garments, robes

Frederick’s waistcoat is missing. 

“Perhaps it fell on the floor somewhere. Have you checked under the bed?” Seth had turned away from his desk at this point to watch the other man frantically rifle through every cabinet and drawer in the room. 

“I would never leave clean clothes on the ground. I would never leave  _ any _ clothes on the ground,” the other man mumbled under his breath, kneeling down to look regardless. Their shared room was as spotless as one would expect from a man of Frederick’s… hygiene preferences. Rarely did the man lose things.

“It’s not here either,” the man grumbled, frustrated by his lack of success (but probably a little glad that there wasn’t a secret mess where he often forgot to look). Seth considered him as he sat up, one arm over the blankets and a leg still curled under the bed frame, frowning all the while. In this moment, he looked a little like a child denied their favorite toy rather than an accomplished general, but Seth would never mock him for it.

Everyone knew Frederick was very particular about things. The way he dressed, the way he worked, the way he fought, it was all done in a very specific way, the laws of which only Frederick knew. When asked, the knight would say that he simply appreciated things being orderly, but anyone close to him would know that the instinct for neatness was a little more compulsory than that. If he didn’t find his missing clothing, the man’s whole day would be ruined.

“Perhaps you could borrow someone else’s for just today? Until you find yours.” Frederick’s frown deepened at that.

“I can’t afford to spend the whole day looking for it. I have a lot to do.”

“I can help. And maybe Titania-” A knock on the door cut Seth off, Frederick picked himself up off the floor to answer it. A mane of unbraided red hair revealed itself as Titania slipped past him into the room. In her hands was a small bundle of brown cloth, which she handed to Frederick with a knowing smile on her face. 

“I found this while I was folding laundry, I assume you’ve been tearing up carpets looking for it?”

The corner of Seth’s mouth twitched upwards as he shook his head and returned to his work. The other man grumbled a ‘thank you’ behind him and Titania moved to steal his hairbrush off a nearby table, getting herself ready for the day. At least the rest of the morning wouldn’t be spent searching for the errant piece of clothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hc frederick as having a little ocd given some of his supports in awakening


	3. autumnitas (seasonal)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Titania hasn't worn festival clothing in a long time.  
> autumnitas: autumn, autumn fruits

Sometimes, the summoner bestows gifts upon the heroes in Askr. 

New weapons are usually appreciated among the many soldiers, since even the most powerful holy swords dull over time. Tactics books are also a popular gift, especially for those who have been serving in Askr for a while and could use a change of pace in regards to their fighting styles. Even gifts of food and flowers are appreciated among the troops, raising morale and letting the soldiers know that their commander appreciates them. 

Sometimes, when the summoner is feeling particularly festive during certain months, the gifts become a little more… excessive. After all, there are festivals to attend, and the heroes who go should certainly look the part....

Titania held the dress out in front of her, not sure how to feel. It’s a traditional Crimean festival dress, brightly colored with flowers intricately embroidered on its front. The gold thread glimmers in the light coming through the window. The golden flowers on the matching headband and ribbon seem fresh, despite being in a dark box for several days. The shoes also seem to be the right size, despite how unused to wearing heels she is. 

The costume also came with some sort of… staff? Strange tome? Some sort of magical implement that will serve as a weapon during the upcoming tournament. It gleamed under her touch, the wreath of flower petals on it beautiful and bright.

“It’s very pretty, are you going to try it on?” Seth asked.

… It couldn’t hurt. After shooing the men out of her room, she laid the garment out on her bed, and got to work removing her own armor. The dress was light and breathable, surprisingly comfortable all things considered. She spun in the mirror, feeling a little like a young girl again, before deciding to put her riding pants back on underneath. The skirt may have been just a little too short. After putting on the shoes (oh these heels would take some getting used to) and fixing the flowered band in on her head, she reopened the door to let the others back in.

“What do you think?”

Frederick smiled genuinely as Seth nodded his head, murmuring his approval.

“I haven’t gotten dressed up like this since I was a little girl, I’m amazed the summoner even found clothing like this in Askr!” Titania twirled slightly, looking giddy.

“It’s far better than what they had me wear that one year… I don’t think I’ll ever wear pants that short again. It felt so undignified…” Frederick’s brow creased as he remembered his brief career as a seashell-throwing ninja a few summers previously. Titania snorted; she had personally quite liked that particular outfit, for it left very little to the imagination. Additionally, the so-called “hoodie” he had been gifted was currently living in her closet, since it truly was very comfortable. 

“I think it looks wonderful, it matches your hair beautifully,” Seth said from where he was investigating the mysterious weapon behind her. “What’s this?”

“It’s a magic thing of some sort I assume, but I’m not quite sure what it does… I’ll have to ask the summoner when I see them next.” 

“You know magic?” Frederick asked taking a seat on her bed.

“Eh… Not particularly well. I’m certainly no prodigy, but back when I was in training I could make a fireball or two. I certainly prefer my axe.” Frederick smiled sympathetically. 

“I don’t blame you. I gave my sea shells to Gaius after the summer festivities were over; goodness knows that I would never be using them again. I’m still not sure why the summoner thought that  _ shells _ of all things would be effective. Our opposition had proper weapons after all!”

“Could be worse, you know! Remember Tiki’s weapon? There’s only so much damage a broken watermelon can do to plate armor!” Titania laughed at the memory of the ancient dragon abandoning the fruit and simply chasing after her targets with a stick. Very saintly indeed.

“Speaking of,” she said, turning towards Seth with a smirk on her face, “You haven’t been drafted into any of the summoner’s little games yet, have you?”

“ I haven’t, and I’m perfectly happy keeping it that way,” he said, crossing his arms defensively even as a small smile formed on his face. 

“Oh please. It’s not so bad, see? I’m having fun!” Titania gave him a sloppy curtsy.

“You’re having fun because your outfit is sensible. I’d rather not risk having to wear bunny ears, thank you very much.”

“Aww… I think you would look good in bunny ears. Balance out that serious face of yours.” Titania reached up behind the paladin’s head making bunny ears with her fingers, which Frederick grinned at. “We’ll ask the summoner to make them silver, so it doesn’t clash with the rest of your outfit.”

“Don’t you dare put my name on that list. I’ll never speak to either of you again,” Seth said without a hint of malicious intent, dodging away from the offending hand.

“Or you could participate in the performing arts festivities? I’m sure lady Tethys could give you lessons!” Frederick offered, eyes following the other two around the room.

“Gods, that’s even worse, I think I’d rather be sent into Hel alone than become a dancer.”

“Dramatic today, aren’t we? The summoner will get to you eventually, mark my words!”

“And if they come to me with something strange, I’ll simply tell them that I don’t want to go!” Titania slapped his shoulder.

“You? Refuse a gift AND a command at the same time? Oh I can’t wait to see that. Trust me, someday you’ll be as doomed as the rest of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im still waiting on that seth alt intsys


	4. denuntio (official)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody told Ike that you're allowed to have two boyfriends at the same time.  
> denuntio: announce, declare, to summon as a witness

Ike and Mist may be children, but they are neither stupid nor blind. 

“Do you think she even notices us?” Mist said, causing her brother to look up. Across the training ground, oblivious to the presence of her two charges, was Titania, in all her armored glory. Despite her regalia, she was not training. Rather, she simply leaned against one of the nearby low stone walls, talking to another armored man who stood on the other side. Neither of the children knew him, meaning he was probably not from Tellius, and his blue armor was strangely bulky for a mounted knight. Their teacher continued to talk to the tall, brown haired man, who nodded along to whatever Titania was saying.

“What do ya’ think they’re talking about?” Mist asked.

“I dunno. Probably battle plans and stuff,” Ike said, leaning on Ragnell. The two watched the adults talk for a little more before the man paused, leaning over the wall to kiss Titania squarely on the cheek. The two siblings’ eyes widened as they spun towards each other and spoke in unison.

“ _ Titania has a boyfriend?? _ ”

\---

They don’t confront her about it, because maybe they’re mistaken. Maybe kissing on the cheek is a customary thing in the man’s home country.

“Cause if they were together, he’d kiss her on the lips, right?” Mist points out. Ike has limited knowledge of how kissing works (he and Soren have barely held hands so far), but he’s not so easily convinced. Titania is a strict lady, and probably wouldn’t put up with strange men kissing her, customs or no customs.

They see her talking to a different man soon after, and the rabbit hole becomes deeper. Ike idles around while Mist braids her horse’s mane, and the two quiet as they hear the sound of the stable doors opening. An unfamiliar horse passes by Mist’s stall as the two teenagers crouch out of sight. They can hear Titania’s voice making idle conversation with an unknown man as they pass. Ike peaks up over the gate in time to see Titania standing in the gateway of another stall a little ways down, playing with the end of her braid as her red-haired companion removed his horse’s saddle and armor. They were too far away to hear now, but Ike clearly saw when Titania leaned over to kiss the man chastely before turning to leave. He ducked out of view just in time, whispering what he had seen to his wide-eyed little sister. Mist was stunned, but sensible enough to whisper quietly;

“ _ Titania has TWO boyfriends?? _ ”

\---

“You two are awfully quiet today. Something happen?” Titania sits across from them during dinner, working her way through a large bowl of Oscar’s famous beef stew. 

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Mist says, a little too chipper to be natural. Ike visibly sweats next to her. 

“Hmm… are you sure about that? How about you Ike, are you feeling alright?” Titania’s eyes narrow. Mist glares at him, but Ike is nervous, and this is a lot of pressure-

“Titania, do you have a boyfriend?” He sputters out. Mist smacks her forehead with the palm of her tiny hand.

“Um… I suppose you could say that… why do you ask, Ike?”

“We saw you kissing a man in the stables… We didn’t mean to lurk, we promise!” Ike shakes his head, fearful his teacher might reprimand him for violating her privacy in front of the whole mess hall.

“Oh. Yes, that’s Seth. He’s a good man, you’ll both probably like him.”

“But wait!” It’s Mist’s turn to exclaim now, “A different man kissed you! In the training grounds!”

“Frederick? He’s quite nice as well, a little bit of a hard-ass, but a good man regardless.”

“But you kissed  _ both _ of them,” Mist is whispering now, looking around as if making sure no one else is listening. Ike stares at his empty bowl, as if learning about his instructor’s personal life had uprooted the very foundations of his world view. 

“I did. Sometimes they kiss each other too. I have two partners, Mist,” Titania explained kindly. Mist, in her thirteen years of life, hadn’t known that was allowed, but Titania didn’t look like she was being coerced, so Mist merely shrugged and nodded. Frankly, she didn’t understand the appeal of wanting to kiss a boy, never mind two of them, but Titania’s business was her own. Ike meanwhile, looked up at the paladin with wide eyes.

“ _ Why didn’t anyone tell me that was allowed! _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ike: soren and ranulf i have great news


	5. depono (hair)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frederick keeps finding red hair on his clothing.  
> depono: to have hair cut, to shed clothes

Frederick keeps finding hair all over his clothing. Red hair, specifically.

He and Seth share a room, so to a point, it is to be expected. But most of the red hair he finds doesn’t belong to Seth. Strands of hair, as long as he is tall, get caught and coiled in the buttons of his clothing, often without him noticing. 

“Hey, what’s that?” Chrom stops him one day as they head to the mess hall after a long war council meeting.

“Where?”

“There! On your back! Looks like hair.”

“Well, can you remove it?” Chrom’s fingers poke around near his shoulder blade for a moment before the prince makes a gagging noise behind him.

“Oh that’s gross, most of it was stuck on the inside of your shirt,” the younger man says, eyebrows crinkled in disgust at the sizable hairball floating its way to the ground. “Naga’s name, Frederick, who’s shoving fur rugs in your clothing?”

\---

Frederick and Seth share a bed. Technically, it’s two smaller beds shoved together, so that all three of them can fit comfortably, with Titania in the middle. This is the third morning that Frederick has woken up with her hair in his mouth. With a grunt, he sits up, blinking in the darkness. It’s early, and he probably still has time to go back to sleep, but not before disentangling himself from Titania’s hair, freed from its braid and left to curl around him while he slept. The sheets were gone, wrapped tightly around the third person in the bed, of which Frederick could only see one arm sticking out of the cotton mass and hanging off the side of the mattress limply. 

Slowly, as to not wake the others, the sleepy man began to move Titania’s octopus-like hair back to her side of the bed, taking a moment to pull her shirt sleeve back over her shoulder where it had slipped from as well. It wasn’t worth trying to get the sheets back, so Frederick pulled another emergency blanket from the nearby table, left there for this exact purpose. After carefully draping it over himself and the sleeping woman, he settled back into the bed. Hopefully he wouldn’t get tangled again before it was time to get up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant even IMAGINE the bedhead titania must have every morning, and i thought shoulder length hair was bad enough to deal with...


	6. navigatio (voyage)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth is seasick.  
> navigatio: navigation, voyage, sailing

“Seth, are you alright?”

Seth was not alright.

“Hey, what’s up?” Titania’s gloved hand shook his shoulder gently. Seth only grumbled miserably in response, the palms of his hands grinding into his eye sockets as he leaned forward in his seat. 

“Gods, please don’t,” he mumbled, clumsy shoving her hand away, eyes squeezed shut tightly. The small boat rocked over another wave, and Seth’s stomach twisted again.

“Seasickness?” Titania asked, receiving a low groan in response. “You’d think that riding horses would train the motion sickness out of anyone.”

“You would think…” Seth responded. Renais was a landlocked country, meaning that aside from the odd missions abroad, he had never really needed to travel by boat before. Most of Magvel’s countries were more easily reached by road, so travel by sea was near unheard of, aside from emergencies. Unfortunately, Askr’s geography was not so kind, and in order to reach certain parts of Nifl, the party would have to cross at least one partially frozen river. 

“Frederick might have something to help, let me go find him,” Titania said, armor clinking as she rose from her seat.

\---

She found him in the cabin of their small vessel, knitting something lumpy and purple. Based on Klein’s presence beside him, and his lack of appropriate winter gear, Titania guessed he was making a scarf for the young boy accompanying them on this mission. Both of them looked up as she opened the door, leaning inside.

“Are we nearly there?” Frederick asked, hands continuing to work absentmindedly.

“Not sure, didn’t ask. Seth’s having some trouble though; do you have anything for seasickness?”

“Seasickness… I’m not quite sure, let me…” Frederick put aside his project and brought his bag onto his lap, rummaging through it. It didn't take him very long to locate a small box of cooking ingredients, which he then pulled a small bag out of. After giving it a once-over glance, he handed it to Titania.

“Tell him to put this in his water canteen.”

“What is it?”

“Ginger. It helps with nausea; milady often gets motion sick while riding with me on my horse, so I always carry some with me lest she spend whole journeys miserable. Normally it would go in tea, but I doubt there is any hot water to be found in this frozen wasteland…”

“Well thanks, Freddy, I’m sure Seth will appreciate it.” With that, Titania disappeared, bag in hand.

“...”

“Hey, I didn’t know you had a nickname, Frederick,” Klein piped up from where he was huddled against the larger man, absorbing his warmth. The knight sighed and glared down at the boy.

“I don’t, so don’t even think about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as someone with sea, motion, and general sickness, i would like to dedicate this chapter to the concept of ginger ale.


	7. nascor (spring)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frederick weeds the garden  
> nascor: to be produced spontaneously, to live, to spring forth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these have been pretty good writing practice so far, so thanks to anyone who's sticking with me! i'm trying to work on writing things that arent just... gratuitous violence and hardcore angst (though im sure this fic will get there eventually, depending on the prompts the generator spits out)
> 
> anyways here's some grownups talking about weather

The flowerbeds needed weeding again. Now that winter’s chill was finally beginning to wane, Askr’s gardens were becoming overrun with small, creeping vines and dandelions, drowning out the beautiful native flowers and plants that were  _ supposed _ to be there. Frederick grumbled to himself as he put on his gardening gloves; there was work to be done.

He would start in the central garden, then take a break for lunch before circling around the western courtyard, which would probably be mostly empty then. The other gardens would have to be taken care of at a later time unfortunately, since his guard duty started right after dinner. Or perhaps he would find someone along the way willing to continue his work when it was time for him to leave? Unlikely, since most heroes were busy (and the ones that were not hardly wanted to spend their time off digging around in the dirt). 

The first hours went by quickly, Frederick humming to himself as he worked. A few heroes came up to him and made small talk before going back to their own business, and he appreciated the company, no matter how short they lingered. Keaton had overstayed his welcome a bit after attempting to run off with the bucket of pulled weeds and dirt, but other than that, it had been a productive morning. 

The midday sun was bearing down on him now, telling him it was time to take a break soon. His knees were beginning to ache in protest of kneeling on the ground for hours, and he could feel blisters starting to form beneath his gloves from the constant motion of pulling at stubborn roots. As he grappled with a particularly argumentative clump of clover, a shadow fell over him.

“Hard at work, I see?”

Frederick let go of the devilish plant to turn to the speaker. Titania stood over him, blocking him from the sun. The golden light danced off the edges of her hair, set ablaze by a combination of divine color and light. She stood, one hand on her hip, the other fiddling with a wooden practice axe. 

“I am, though I’ll be taking a short rest soon. What are you up to?” 

“Just passing through, thought I’d say hello. Will you be coming to the mess hall soon? I’m taking a break from training myself.”

“Hmm, yes, I think food sounds good right now. It’s a lot warmer than it was yesterday… I forgot to bring water,” Frederick said, standing and brushing himself off as best as he could. The dirt stains on his knees would need a good wash, surely. 

“Ha! Well, that’s spring for you. I’m glad it’s finally arrived, all the snow was beginning to drive me a bit mad… We never get snow like that in Crimea.”

“Ylisse never gets that much snow either, but I think it was a nice change of pace,” Frederick pulled off his gloves, tossing them into the bucket of weeds. “Milord and Milady practically lost their minds after every snowstorm… I’m surprised neither of them got sick after rolling around in it for nearly three months straight.”

“Ah, well they never had to go up to Nifl,” Titania smiled as she held the door open for the man, “One week surrounded by cold white bullshit as far as the eye can see really changes one’s perspective on the season.”

“To that, I couldn't agree more.”


	8. ferrum (iron weapon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth has been feeling off since arriving in Askr.  
> ferrum: iron, iron weapon, iron tool

Seth is rather handy with a sword. 

Of course, this is to be expected, since he has been a soldier for more than half his life. But even among his peers, he’s lighter on his feet and more precise with his form. At least, he usually is.

Something is off. Something has _been_ off, ever since Seth arrived in Askr. At first, he blamed the change in scenery. An abrupt shift from one universe to another must have its effects on everyone, no matter how well trained a soldier they are. Of course he felt off; It was a whole other world, different from his own in almost every way. But even as he settled into his new life in Askr, the feeling didn’t go away. 

Perhaps illness, then? It was possible he’d picked up something minor, something annoying enough to notice, but small enough that it wouldn’t cause any real harm. Seth hadn’t been known to take illness often, but when he did, he usually ended up going down hard, bedridden for days during the worst of it. Other than that strange _feeling_ , he felt perfectly fine, so it probably wasn’t that either. 

It was bothering him tonight, keeping him awake even as the others slept soundly beside him. He could feel Frederick snoring into his side, and Titania’s soft breathing told him that she was slumbering deeply as well. Normally if he was feeling antsy, he would go to the training grounds in order to clear his head and tire his body out, but he didn’t want to wake the others at this hour…

So he lay there, stewing in his own thoughts. 

Even the summoner seemed to notice he was beginning to fall behind, gifting him with a new sword. It was a nice one too, an expertly crafted silver blade, exceedingly well balanced and devastatingly sharp. And it had helped! The feeling was still there, but foes went down just a bit easier than before. But that had been several months ago, and Seth was beginning to fall behind again. The sword felt no better than an cheap iron blade in his hands, and no matter how much he trained, how many enemies he slew, how many victories he achieved, he didn’t know how to fix it.

Perhaps he was simply getting old? 

Unlikely… but possible. He wasn’t even thirty yet. Hell, he was barely twenty five! It was far too early to start feeling the weight of his years, so to speak. Sure, he had already taken more than his fair share of hard hits during his career so far, but none of them had crippled him. The old wound on his shoulder bothered him from time to time, the curse from Valter’s weapon laced deep into his skin by now, but it didn’t slow him down terribly. He was quite sure Jagen would have his head for even thinking about being bogged down by age. Something along the lines of “You young people don’t know how good you have it; look at me, I’m old as shit and you don’t see me complaining!”

Seth had never heard the old man swear, but he seemed like the type to. 

He breathed out sharply through his nose, annoyed. Next to him, Frederick mumbled something and wrapped an arm around Seth’s midsection as he slept. Getting up was certainly out of the question now, and loathe as he was to admit it, the paladin didn’t really have his heart in the idea of training at the moment. 

He would figure out what was wrong. He just needed a little more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> summoner: oh its cause your bases and growths are different in heroes as opposed to sacred stones. also you have much more meta units to compete with!  
> seth:  
> seth: im gonna need you to explain like 9 things to me


	9. caecus (blind)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Titania is temporarily blinded.  
> Caecus: blind, unseeing, dark, obscure

Even the most experienced warriors take injury once in a while. Titania was just sorry that she didn’t block her face fast enough.

Usually, blocking magical attacks was no problem for her. If fact, out of the three of them, it was her job to protect the others from incoming mages (especially poor Frederick, the man may be built like a beast but he had the magical resistance of a mashed potato). She had charged at the enemy caster, axe at the ready as her opponent raised their hand from their tome. Then, there had been a blinding light and her face felt as if it had been lit ablaze, causing her to drop her weapon and clutch her head in her hands as it pounded. Her face continued to burn, even after she heard the dull thud of steel meeting flesh as the mage crumpled onto the packed dirt of the battlefield. When Frederick finally circled around to her, asked what was wrong, she had never swallowed her pride faster, practically begging to be led to a healer. 

Which was where she was right about now.

“What happened here?” A soft voice said, grounding her in reality just a little bit more. It was that new girl, Mercedes. Frederick’s hand guided her to a nearby chair, which she sat in unsteadily. 

“My face… Fuck, there’s something in my eyes. That mage did something to my eyes,” She mumbled, peeling her palms away for the first time since she’d been struck.

“Oh my… Let me take a look,” Mercedes was a dark shadow in her extremely blurry vision. The young girl hummed as she touched the older woman’s face, fingers cold against her sweaty cheek.

“Looks like a blinding spell to me, no wonder your eyes hurt so bad… It’s temporary, but the only thing to be done is bandage them so that you don’t hurt them any more by looking into the light. Don’t move please…” Titania stayed as still as she could while the girl ran a roll of gauze around her head.

“It’s probably best you rest for now, Miss Titania. Don’t put too much strain on yourself, or you might do some permanent damage!” Titania heard the cleric straighten up, and began to stand. Frederick gripped her arm again, intent on leading his blind companion to safety. 

“Thank you for the help,” she said, before the guiding hand pushed her forward, into the black abyss. 

\---

Now that she was safe in their room, she felt a little better. Navigating the halls of Askr’s castle had been its own terrifying experience, even with Frederick holding her hand the entire way. He had left a few moments ago for dinner duty, promising to be back as soon as he was done to help her with anything she needed. The prospect of him waiting on her hand and foot while she was out of commission wasn’t bad  _ per say… _ but the idea of being blind for a whole week wasn't great. Goddess, what was she going to do with herself? She couldn’t train, couldn’t read, couldn’t even sit and enjoy the scenery… It was going to be a boring time. 

She heard a soft knock, and then the sound of a key turning in the lock. 

“Frederick?” she asked, looking towards where she knew the door to be.

“Ah, no it’s me,” Seth’s voice answered her, “What happened to you?”

“Blindness hex. Temporary, thank the goddess, but I’m sort of stuck here until my eyes heal.”

“Sounds terrible,” the man answered, closer now, “Anything I can do to help?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. The only cure is resting and keeping my eyes away from bright light. Hah, it’s only been a few hours, and I’m already bored out of my mind.” The bed creaked as Seth sat next to her, the mattress dipping under his weight. 

She reached out to where she thought he was, feeling in the air until her fingers found his face. He twitched away for a moment before her hands skimmed back along the bridge of his nose.

“What are you doing.”

“Feeling.”

“You already know what I look like.”

“I don’t have much else to entertain myself with, do I now. You have a weird nose, you know that Seth?” He brushed away her hand at that, but she could feel him smiling.

“I’ll have no part in entertaining you if you plan on making fun of me the whole time.”

“Not making fun, observing. I quite like your weird face,” She said, smiling mischievously.

“Mm. Aside from whatever this is, are you sure there is nothing I could do for you?”

Titania considered for a moment, reaching out again. This time, she plopped her hand down on the top of Seth’s head and began messing with his hair. It was soft. 

“Frederick said he would bring me dinner, so until he gets back, read to me maybe?”

“Read to you?”

“Yes, I can’t do it myself now can I.”

Seth gently brushed her hand away again before standing and walking to the other side of the room.

“What would you like me to read? We don’t have much by way of story books or novels…”

“Make up your own?” Titania suggested, leaning back further on the bed. Across the room, Seth snorted. 

“I am far from the creative type, you know that. Do you have any of your own books?”

“Hmmm… Yes I think I might, check Frederick’s desk, would you? I may have left one there. The rest are in my own room…” Sounds of papers shifting met her ears. 

“This looks like one…” Titania could almost feel him grimacing, “Saints above, this looks like something Princess Eirika would read… you really enjoy this stuff?”

“Hush, you aren’t allowed to mock my tastes until I’m well enough to defend myself in the ring. Besides! There’s nothing wrong with a little fanciful storytelling once in a while!”

“Why is this even on Frederick’s desk?”

“I’m lending it to him, so best not lose his place either.”

“I continue to be astonished that both of you have the same exact type of terrible taste.”

“Oh pipe down. Now, I think I left off on chapter three…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> frederick and titania would absolutely exchange shitty romance novels back and forth. also being seth is suffering


	10. cicatrico (scar)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They talk about the origins of their scars.  
> Cicatrico: to form a scar over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for: descriptions of injury

They stand in a circle, in various states of undress. Frederick had decided to forgo his shirt entirely, and Titania’s practical underclothes were the only things protecting her skin from the cold morning air. Seth was fully dressed, but even then, the buttons of his shirt were mostly undone under his crossed arms. 

“So what’s this one then?” Titania pointed at a particularly gnarled gash on Frederick’s collar bone. He reached up to feel it.

“Terrible run-in with a mercenary; he had an armorslayer, but I was sure that milord would be his next target if I didn’t intervene.”

“This one?”

“Took an arrow. It didn’t hurt quite as bad as you’d think, actually. Would have killed me if not for my armor though.”

“How about… this one here?” She ran her hand along a long, thin scar that started at his elbow and ended at his wrist.

“Ah, Walhart gave me that. Shattered my gauntlet and then went in for the kill. I managed to dodge out of the way just in time, but he managed to nick me.” Frederick said, somewhere between proud and slightly shameful.

“Oh,” Titania turned to the side to show off a similar line on her own body, running from the back of her knee almost up to the bottom of her ribs, “I have a similar one. A man named Ashnard gave this to me while I was defending Lady Elincia.”

Seth whistled quietly under his breath, “That looks like it was quite bad… How did he manage to hit you like that while you were on horseback?”

“I was unhorsed at the time, unfortunately. See, I blocked his blade with my axe like so,” she imitated holding a weapon and posed, “But his blade bounced off and hit me as I turned to escape. I’ll remember that battle for the rest of my life; it hurt like a bitch, but goddess did I learn from it.”

Titania dropped her imaginary weapon and untwisted herself.

“You’ve got a lot of older scars too, Frederick. What are these messy ones?” They were lighter, but still visible; great gouges where veritable chunks of flesh had been removed off his back.

“Animal attack from my youth. They haven’t bothered me in years, but I’ll admit I’m still a little wary around larger beasts… I fear I nearly fainted the first time I saw Kaden transform.”

Titania finished her close inspection of Frederick’s back and walked back around to face Seth.

“How about you? Do any of yours come with a good story?”

“A good story…?” Seth hummed to himself, thinking. His weren’t nearly as heroic as Frederick or Titania’s, but…

“I got this from Valter, during the war back home,” He said, shrugging his right arm out of his sleeve. The wound from the insane general’s cursed lance had never healed right, twisting in on itself where it had gone through his shoulder and come out the other side. Whereas the others’ scars were a fading white or pink, this one was a dull, necrotic grey, interspersed with dark purple where the surrounding blood vessels had burst. Even now, it still looked fresh. It might have even gotten a little worse over time, as curses tended to do (which reminded Seth, he really did need to visit a cleric about that soon). 

“That looks…” Titania trailed off.

“...Terrible,” Frederick finished her thought, “It looks so recent…”

Seth shrugged his shirt back on and began to button it, suddenly uncomfortable with all the attention.

“It’s old, but it doesn’t bother me much. Cursed weapons can leave some interesting results when it comes to scarring. It’s not unlike a wound one might get from a dark mage.”

“Mmm,” Titania broke out of her mildly horrified trance, “Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I believe I’ve seen something similar on Naesala. From a dark mage, like you said. Though I suppose with his dark feathers, it’s a bit harder to spot.”

“Better a cursed wound than a poisoned one,” Frederick spoke up now, beginning to pull on his own shirt, ready to start the day. “Without an antidote, poison can take a grown man down in seconds, depending on the potency. I’ve seen it; nasty stuff.”

“Thankfully that isn’t a tactic that the enemy here seems to have figured out yet,” Titania smiled.

“The enemy? No, not yet. That Claude boy though… Perhaps we should be keeping a closer eye on him…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i always forget frederick is canonically Terrified of large animals, its an interesting detail about his character. also i assume he would not trust any sneaky characters, including our favorite deer boy


	11. māiōrēs (ancestors)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frederick and Seth talk about their families.

There is a small picture affixed to the wall above Seth’s designated working area. Frederick stopped to examine it while cleaning, leaning over the desk. It was a drawing of a smiling lady with long, curly orange hair. In the corner, something illegible was written, accompanied by a crudely drawn smiley-face. The paper was yellowed at the edges, and various small stains and smudges covered its surface, indicating its age. 

When Seth returned from training, Frederick considered the picture again from across the room. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” he started, watching as Seth removed his coat and boots, “who is the woman in the picture by your desk? Someone from back home?”

“Hmm?” Seth turned to the paper in question, “Ah, that’s my mother. My younger sister drew it for me when I left for the army for the first time. I like to keep it around.”

“I see! She looks to be a lovely woman, and I can clearly see your sister’s…” penmanship wasn’t the right word- “artistic ability.” 

The corner of Seth’s mouth twitched upwards.

“Artistic ability is a strong word, but I’m sure both of them would appreciate the compliments.”

“Not an artist by trade then?” Frederick asked. Seth shook his head.

“Certainly not… Almost all of us are military. Sarrana-” he pointed back behind him, towards the picture, “is a mage knight. Not a bad one either.”

“Ah, I come from a similar situation myself. My father was a great knight like myself, and my mother was a valkyrie, so it was expected I pursue knighthood as well. Not that I regret that decision, mind you.” 

Seth nodded. “Both my parents were retired once I started training, but once the first three went into service, I basically had no choice but to do so myself…”

“Three?”

“Three older sisters, three younger ones too. All but the oldest are enlisted, and she retired to have a family.” Frederick whistled at that.

“Big family. I have no siblings myself.”

“Do you want one? I can give you one for free.” Seth looked as if he was only half joking.

“Thank you for the offer, but Milord and Milady are more than enough trouble as it is, I can’t imagine looking after another…”

“Fair enough, there’s only so many frogs-in-shirts that one can deal with at a time.” Seth stopped for a moment and squinted at nothing in particular. “Though, now that I’m thinking… Any warrior has the potential to be summoned to Askr. So that may still be a problem yet.”

In truth, that thought had passed through Frederick’s mind on more than one occasion. 

“Your sisters may be one thing, but I wouldn’t pass on a chance to see my family again, if I was to be honest.”

“Ah, have they… passed?”

“Unfortunately so, during the war with Plegia, years ago…”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Frederick. I’m sure with enough time, the summoner will be able to bring them here… They’ve had great luck bringing families back together thus far, after all.” Seth said, somberly.

“Too true,” Frederick smiled again, in an attempt to lighten the mood once more, “Remember when Lord Sigurd saw his son for the first time? I’ve never seen a person cry so many tears before, even if they were joyful.”

“Oh yes, I remember. I’m nothing but happy for the man, but I’ll admit there’s only so many ‘cool Seliph facts’ I can entertain each day. I understand he’s a family man, but…”

Seth shook his head, trailing off as he remembered the brief time he had worked with Chalphy’s older heir before switching to a different force.

“Well, hopefully both of us will get that sort of experience sooner or later, hm?”

Frederick smiled. “That would certainly be wonderful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want to know cool seliph facts....
> 
> also watch out bc i WILL be injecting family headcanons into this and no one can stop me


	12. bellum īnferre (to make war on)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Titania prepares to march.  
> bellum īnferre: to make war on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tiny little baby chapter bc i am very busy today. but not so busy that i dont have time to think about titania at least a little bit

Titania tightens the leather straps on her breastplate. The armory is devoid of chatter, the only sounds being the clanging of metal plates against each other as everyone readies themselves to march. An Emblan attack, so soon after the last one had ended. Beside her, Frederick affixes his pauldrons deftly. There’s a war on, and they can’t afford to dawdle. 

The lack of talking is surprising. It is early, and perhaps people are simply tired. But the air holds a certain amount of seriousness that none of them can ignore, and they respect the heaviness of the air with their quiet. 

Her weapon, the Draconic Poleaxe, is back from repairs, it’s edge newly sharpened and gleaming in the dim lamplight. It will do nicely against whatever foes Embla has sent this time. Titania hopes that the enemy general is not someone she knows, but even if it is, she would cut them down regardless. 

She straightens her armor one last time, and grabs her saddle. There’s a war on, and it’s time to go fight it.


	13. adultus (grown up)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrom and Lissa try to give Frederick "the talk".  
> adultus: grown up, mature, adult

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> implied sexual content, poor freddy

“Now Frederick, since you’re in a relationship, there’s some things you should probably know.”

“Milord, I can assure you that-”

“Freddy, sit down and let him talk,” Lissa was barely holding it together, a face splitting smile covered by one of her hands as she stood by the door, blocking Frederick’s only path of escape. The knight looked at her almost pleadingly, but she shook her head with a stifled snort.

These damn kids. They had lured him in… ‘there were sheets to be mended’, they said. But when he arrived, there were no sheets out of order, only Chrom, sitting on the bed with his hands folded on his lap neatly, and a desk chair drawn up to him closely. 

“Frederick, this is for your own good! I’m more than happy to share my wisdom with you-”

“Milord, need I remind you that it was I who gave you… ‘the talk’... when you were younger?” He said, exasperated. Chrom shook his head somberly.

“That may be so, but there’s a difference between talking about growing up and actually being in a relationship.” Chrom may have been acting serious, but he was twitching slightly, and from the tears pricking in the corners of his eyes it was easy to tell that he was just barely holding back his own laughter. “Need I remind you that I have been married for nearly two years myself, and have a daughter of my own… How many relationships have  _ you _ been in?”

Frederick actually had to stop and think about that one. There had been a few, surely… 

“And I mean REAL ones. Going out to dinner with someone once and then never speaking to them again doesn’t count.”

That narrowed his options, yes, but-

“And no, sparring with people while also having a crush on them doesn’t count either. Not unless you actually did anything!” Lissa piped up.

That took a few more off the list as well… The only person he had ever really confessed anything to was the Exalt, and while she had reciprocated, the war had prevented them from doing anything… and he wasn’t about to tell his two charges that he may have once had less than pure feelings for their late sister…

Which left him with a startlingly empty list.

“See! You can’t think of anyone! Frederick, have you even  _ done it _ with anyone before?”

“Lady Lissa, that is an extremely personal question that someone your age has no business asking-”

Chrom stood up and maneuvered around Frederick, further blocking his path. 

“Frederick, we’re not trying to embarrass you! Well mostly. Lissa might just be here for that. But I genuinely think talking about this kind of thing might do you some good! Not the gross details, you can figure those out for yourself… But you’re not the most… emotionally tactful man in Naga’s lands, and we want you to be happy…” Chrom looked up at the taller man, who’s brow was still creased with distress.

“Yeah! Not to mention, most people only have to worry about keeping one person happy! You have to worry about two!!” Lissa said. Despite her earlier giggling, it was evident she really was just trying to look out for him. “Freddy, we just don’t want you to get hurt. Or hurt anyone else!”

Frederick looked from Lissa to Chrom, and sighed. They were half right, of course. He didn’t really know what he was doing, at least not as much as Chrom evidently did (though even now, the fact that the younger man had a Whole Human Child that he had Made still baffled the knight). Defeated, he sat in the chair Chrom had prepared for him. 

“I promise I’ll make it as quick and painless as possible. Also, Lissa, get out.” Chrom said, looking over Frederick’s shoulder to his younger sister.

“What! Why?”

“Lissa, you’re only sixteen, and I’m about to say some stuff only fit for the ears of mature adults.”

“I’m plenty mature! I already know most of this stuff!!” She argued, face becoming red. 

“Well, you shouldn’t. Come on, skedaddle! Your job is done!”

Lissa stood there for a second, looking as if she might argue. Then, she stuck her tongue out at the two men before flinging open the door and slamming it behind her. 

How dare he kick her out! This whole operation had been her suggestion! She marched down the hallway, seething quietly. Only once she reached the end did she hear a shout, muffled slightly by a wooden door.

“Milord, I thought you said you wouldn’t go into detail about such things!!”

Actually, maybe leaving was a good idea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> frederick: milord why do you know so much about gay sex  
> chrom, thinking about robin: dont worry about it


End file.
